LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
On March 10, the Lackland Fisher House Foundation was blessed with a gift that filled their hearts, made possible by a book that would also fill stomachs.
The Air Force Federal Credit Union donated $4,000 to the Fisher House, which was all the proceeds raised by selling their cookbook, "Operation Culinary Delights." The book features nearly 200 original recipes donated by credit union members and employees.
"The Fisher House is very near and dear to our hearts," said Shelia Burrow, senior vice president of Human Resources and Marketing. "Our bank serves the brave men and women of the military, and we thought this would be a great way to give back to them."
One hundred and fifty of the bank's employees volunteered their time and service for the project.
"You give 150 employees the same idea and they are going to do great things with it," said Robert Glenn, AFFCU president.
According to the credit union's president, more than 200 volunteer hours were logged to make this book possible.
The credit union first entertained the idea last March. Eight months later, the recipe book was completed and 350 books have sold since then.
"We were trying to find out if there was a way for us to do something for the Fisher House, when we ran across this opportunity to apply for a grant that gave us the seed money to get the book published," Mr. Glenn said.
Ms. Burrow spearheaded the quest to obtain the grant, which came from The Armed Forces Financial Network.
"It came from the heart. We have wonderful employees and wonderful members who are generous," Ms. Burrow said. "It wasn't work; it was a labor of love. It was well worth it and the rewards are outstanding."
The Fisher House is a homestead for the families of seriously ill or injured patients receiving medical care at Wilford Hall Medical Center.
"It's awesome and it's innovative," said Dwayne Hopkins, Fisher House executive director. "For somebody to think of something like this is great.
"And I've been told they tested every recipe before they put it in the book to make sure it tasted good."
The AFFCU's donation will be used toward improvements at Lackland Fisher Houses, which are comprised of three homes with 25 rooms available for patients' families.
Zachary Fisher, a real estate mogul who was barred from military service due to a leg injury, began the Fisher House program in 1990 to provide comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel.
"When people ask me what they can do, I tell them to do something that is in their heart," said Mr. Hopkins, the former command chief master sergeant of the 37th Training Wing. "We help all types of people with all types of issues here. If someone is looking for one place to help, it's the Fisher House."
The credit union still has books available, and they can be purchased at any AFFCU office.
Arrangements can also be set up for mail order and delivery by calling 673-5610.